Parents of Newtown shooting victim address gun control in Flagler

Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 9:54 a.m.

PALM COAST -- For a few moments Tuesday night, Mark and Jackie Barden silenced a boisterous town hall meeting.

Mark Barden stood up and told the crowd of more than 300 people that his 7-year-old son Daniel was killed during the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

The Bardens had listened for more than an hour as residents asked U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Ponte Vedra Beach, his thoughts on spending cuts, his suspicions about the Benghazi shootings and whether he believed President Barack Obama was a socialist.

Gun control came up early and often during the town hall. The Bardens heard DeSantis say from the onset he had no use for bills proposing a ban on high-capacity magazines for semi-automatic handguns and rifles.

The congressman said such a law would turn "law-abiding citizens into felons."

The cafeteria at Flagler Palm Coast High School was filled with an abundance of Republicans – many of them self-described tea party members. It was the second town hall meeting DeSantis had held since taking office in January and his first in Flagler County. The 6th Congressional District DeSantis represents includes all of Flagler and St. Johns counties and most of Volusia and Putnam counties.

The meeting had a pep-rally atmosphere until Barden took the microphone about an hour after the meeting started.

After introducing himself and his wife, Barden asked for the subject of gun control to be taken more seriously.

"We just need a new conversation about gun laws," he said.

He called the issue "deeply personal" for him and his wife.

Barden explained his own point of view. He doesn't want Washington, D.C., to take away a person's right to bear arms. What he wants above all else, he said, is more discussion and debate – and from that maybe a law or two that could help prevent another mass shooting.

He also asked residents to listen to "those of us who have lost the most." He then pointedly asked DeSantis how he planned to address the gun issue.

DeSantis said the motives of Adam Lanza, who shot his mother and then 20 children and six adult staff at Sandy Hook, have remained a mystery to him. Lanza, 20, killed himself at the scene.

"I definitely don't believe he should've been allowed to use a gun," DeSantis told Barden.

Earlier during Tuesday's meeting, and before the couple spoke, the congressman said guns should be withheld from those with certain mental illnesses. After hearing from Barden, he repeated that wish and suggested Congress might also look at regulating violent video games.

"We're going to look at all this stuff," said DeSantis. "We're going to look at anything that comes down the pike."

Paul Merana of Palm Coast had the microphone before Barden. He asked the congressman why every time he goes to Walmart there isn't enough ammunition for him to buy. Merana said the federal government has been buying it all and he wanted to know why.

"All they do is check my luggage at the airport," said Merana.

DeSantis, a Navy war veteran and former prosecutor, agreed the government was armed enough.

Barden and his wife were mostly stoic throughout the town hall, but some onlookers, including Richard Ziemann, wondered whether the couple were becoming unnerved following some of the comments and questions from attendees, many of whom were sharp with their Second Amendment rhetoric.

Ziemann and the Bardens walked over to the side during the last portion of the town hall and spoke to each other.

"I just wanted to make it clear to them they did make an impact here," said Ziemann, a staunch Republican. "It was very important for them to be here and for them to be heard."

Jackie Barden thanked Ziemann, handed him a "What Would Daniel Do" bracelet and quietly left with her husband about five minutes before the meeting ended. The couple handed out a few more of the bracelets before they left.

Barden said they were in Florida visiting relatives in DeLand and wanted to meet DeSantis and hear his thoughts on gun control.

<p>PALM COAST -- For a few moments Tuesday night, Mark and Jackie Barden silenced a boisterous town hall meeting. </p><p>Mark Barden stood up and told the crowd of more than 300 people that his 7-year-old son Daniel was killed during the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. </p><p>The Bardens had listened for more than an hour as residents asked U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Ponte Vedra Beach, his thoughts on spending cuts, his suspicions about the Benghazi shootings and whether he believed President Barack Obama was a socialist. </p><p>Gun control came up early and often during the town hall. The Bardens heard DeSantis say from the onset he had no use for bills proposing a ban on high-capacity magazines for semi-automatic handguns and rifles. </p><p>The congressman said such a law would turn "law-abiding citizens into felons." </p><p>The cafeteria at Flagler Palm Coast High School was filled with an abundance of Republicans – many of them self-described tea party members. It was the second town hall meeting DeSantis had held since taking office in January and his first in Flagler County. The 6th Congressional District DeSantis represents includes all of Flagler and St. Johns counties and most of Volusia and Putnam counties. </p><p>The meeting had a pep-rally atmosphere until Barden took the microphone about an hour after the meeting started. </p><p>After introducing himself and his wife, Barden asked for the subject of gun control to be taken more seriously. </p><p>"We just need a new conversation about gun laws," he said. </p><p>He called the issue "deeply personal" for him and his wife. </p><p>Barden explained his own point of view. He doesn't want Washington, D.C., to take away a person's right to bear arms. What he wants above all else, he said, is more discussion and debate – and from that maybe a law or two that could help prevent another mass shooting. </p><p>He also asked residents to listen to "those of us who have lost the most." He then pointedly asked DeSantis how he planned to address the gun issue. </p><p>DeSantis said the motives of Adam Lanza, who shot his mother and then 20 children and six adult staff at Sandy Hook, have remained a mystery to him. Lanza, 20, killed himself at the scene. </p><p>"I definitely don't believe he should've been allowed to use a gun," DeSantis told Barden. </p><p>Earlier during Tuesday's meeting, and before the couple spoke, the congressman said guns should be withheld from those with certain mental illnesses. After hearing from Barden, he repeated that wish and suggested Congress might also look at regulating violent video games. </p><p>"We're going to look at all this stuff," said DeSantis. "We're going to look at anything that comes down the pike." </p><p>Paul Merana of Palm Coast had the microphone before Barden. He asked the congressman why every time he goes to Walmart there isn't enough ammunition for him to buy. Merana said the federal government has been buying it all and he wanted to know why. </p><p>"All they do is check my luggage at the airport," said Merana. </p><p>DeSantis, a Navy war veteran and former prosecutor, agreed the government was armed enough. </p><p>Barden and his wife were mostly stoic throughout the town hall, but some onlookers, including Richard Ziemann, wondered whether the couple were becoming unnerved following some of the comments and questions from attendees, many of whom were sharp with their Second Amendment rhetoric. </p><p>Ziemann and the Bardens walked over to the side during the last portion of the town hall and spoke to each other. </p><p>"I just wanted to make it clear to them they did make an impact here," said Ziemann, a staunch Republican. "It was very important for them to be here and for them to be heard." </p><p>Jackie Barden thanked Ziemann, handed him a "What Would Daniel Do" bracelet and quietly left with her husband about five minutes before the meeting ended. The couple handed out a few more of the bracelets before they left. </p><p>Barden said they were in Florida visiting relatives in DeLand and wanted to meet DeSantis and hear his thoughts on gun control. </p><p>"He didn't really answer the question," Barden said of the congressman. "We didn't really expect him to."</p>